Chapter 21
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: First Party (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
What can I say? They were occupying positions that were 180 degrees opposite from the images I had of each race, leaving me a bit flustered.
Maybe the ideas I had about the races were just prejudices after all. Well, back on Earth, I did all sorts of wild things when creating characters in games.
"How about it, Adventurer Ian? Shall I match you with this party?"
"Yeah, sure, why not."
Honestly, the racial stereotypes just made them seem unique, but the party composition was solid. A priest, a mage, and a rogue. Plus me up front. Weren't the positions perfectly distributed?
On top of that, I'd heard the Labyrinth Guild's party matching system was only available to those with experience completing several commissions. I could use it only because Alensia had vouched for me.
So if I used this system to form a party and then bailed, all the complaints would go straight to Alensia.
Anyway, after bidding farewell to the receptionist, I headed to the plaza where adventurers recruited parties. Sure enough, I spotted the group that was obviously my new party right away.
"Grrrng. You're Ian? I'm Rud. Nice to meet you."
Rud was the first to speak—a wolfkin. Among the beastkin, his kind had strong animal traits; his entire body was covered in fur, and his face took the shape of a wolf.
"Hello, Mr. Rud. You're the priest, right?"
"Grrrng. That's right."
"Then what's that bow slung on your back?"
"For hunting."
......I see.
"You do know holy magic, right?"
"Of course. I'm a priest."
Well, priests did carry some kind of weapon when entering the labyrinth. And since he said he could use holy magic, he probably was one.
I turned my gaze to the figure wearing the robe typical of mages.
Setting aside the fact that it was a dwarf with a beard overflowing from under the robe, the outfit itself matched my idea of a mage's attire.
"I'm Bram. I use ice magic."
"Got it, Mr. Bram. Just to check, what's that hammer on your belt?"
"? You're asking something obvious. It's my wand."
......Well, if you look closely, there's a bead at the end of the handle. I guess if it's made from a material with good mana conductivity and has a magic stone embedded at the tip, you can call it a wand.
He was a mage, right? It said so in the party recruitment, and he confirmed it himself...
Finally, I looked at the orc woman.
"......"
She immediately lowered her eyes.
"Kaitel."
"......Yes, Ms. Kaitel. You're the rogue?"
"That's right."
She was buffer with muscle than anyone I'd ever seen. Did she practice stealth by killing all witnesses? And the fact that she was a woman with that face made it even scarier.
"Uh, your weapon?"
"Fists."
Well, given her build, fists suited her. I figured she had martial skills. But... you're supposed to be a rogue?
"Nice to meet you. I'm Ian. I use a sword."
"Speak casually. Formal speech makes me uncomfortable."
"Alright then."
The party members were quite unique, but that didn't mean I was backing out. The positions were well-filled, and since I'd used the Labyrinth Guild's matching, flaking out would mean paying a penalty.
Still, there was one thing I had to ask.
"By the way, you three—have you partied together before?"
"Grrrng. First time seeing all of them."
Wow, jackpot.
After sharing info on our targets on the third floor, we confirmed everyone had their survival gear and headed straight into the labyrinth.
Rud and Bram were gathering herbs that grew wild on the third floor. Kaitel had a commission to collect Big Hornet venom from the third floor. Yeah, the same monster used to make syringes.
I drew my sword and took point, with Rud and Bram behind me. Kaitel would watch the rear.
Despite trying to stay calm, advancing through the labyrinth with this textbook... well, standard party setup had my heart pounding after a long time. I'd entered the labyrinth many times before, but without an overwhelming powerhouse like Alensia at my side, it was a mix of excitement, fear, anticipation, and anxiety.
The first floor was quiet with almost no monsters, thanks to all the adventurers passing through. We occasionally ran into others but kept our distance and passed warily.
Just as I thought we'd clear the first floor without issue, faint beastly cries came from ahead, along with several small shapes.
"Goblins ahead!"
Since entering, I'd blocked my unnecessary 'taste' sense and amplified 'sight' instead, so I spotted them first. Four goblins. They'd seen us too and charged with weapons raised.
"Hah!"
I kicked the first one to close in. The weight difference sent the little goblin tumbling across the floor.
I angled my sword and thrust at the next one coming in sequence. With our reach advantage, thrusting was quicker and more efficient than swinging against these goblins.
I glanced at the others, but the remaining two were already handled by my party.
"Grrrng!"
One had been pierced through by Rud's claws... What the heck? You're a priest. And he didn't even use his bow.
The other had its neck twisted unnaturally by Kaitel, who dashed from the rear at full speed and struck. Instant kill. Wait, rogue?
Bram had his hammer—wand?—in hand, looking like he'd been about to cast but now just stared ahead since his prey vanished... You were gonna cast, right?
Not the way I'd expected, but... their skills seemed solid, so that was a relief.
That one goblin fight was all on the first floor. With no more battles, we found the portal to the second and unanimously decided to push on without resting.
Right after entering the second floor, we ran into two goblins and a horn boar, leading to combat.
These goblins were stronger than the scrawny first-floor ones, but we handled them without issue—one by me, one by Rud... Seriously, priest?
"You're a priest, right?"
"Gruk. Can't priests fight?"
...They can. In fact, it was better than no combat ability.
The horn boar that followed was a pig-like monster with horns on its head... Kaitel grabbed its neck barehanded and snapped off the horn, killing it.
I didn't question Kaitel about fighting up front like a rogue. She scared me. Higher floors made rogue roles crucial, but on low floors, they mostly scouted enemies.
No traps or locked doors on just the second floor anyway. Whatever.
Rud seemed aware it looked odd for a priest to lead the charge and kindly explained.
"Grrrng. You don't have much experience with priest parties, so I'll tell you—most priests who enter the labyrinth have their own attack methods. Some are paladins who buff themselves and fight."
"Oh, did you cast a buff on yourself earlier?"
"I can't use buffs. I specialize in healing magic."
"Then why are you up front fighting?"
"Isn't it efficient?"
I had retorts, but he wasn't wrong. He fought well enough. As long as he healed when it mattered, it'd be fine.
I gave up expecting priestly behavior from Rud, skipped Kaitel..., and looked to my last hope, Bram. The bearded dwarf with a hammer looked like a frontliner, but I still hoped to see some magic.
-Squirm squirm
Right on cue, a slime wriggled from around the corner. Easy to kill by bursting the core, but its fluids corroded gear, so frontliners hated them. Perfect for a mage.
"Mr. Bram, slime ahead. Can you handle it with magic?"
"Sure."
It wasn't hard to deal with, but I wanted to see magic and gauge his skill, so I asked. Thankfully, Bram nodded readily, drew his hammer—wand!—
Chilling Weapon
Enchantment applied to weapon
"Ooh."
I reacted like a country bumpkin when Bram chanted. I'd seen holy magic at the clinic a few times, but other magic was new to me!
I worried he'd charge and smash it with the hammer like a thug, but as he chanted, a chill filled the air, and frost visibly formed on his ham—wand.
Huh? But it's forming on the hammer, not shooting out?
"Smash!"
"????"
Bram slammed the frosted hammer down, shattering the slime's core. Okay, he used magic. And killed it with magic... sort of...
"......Doesn't that damage the weapon?"
"That's why I enchanted it. The frost protects the weapon from corrosion."
"........."
It wasn't quite what I'd envisioned, so I trudged onward a bit dejected.
The beginner training commissions involving gathering monster byproducts from the third floor showed that, with a party, even novices could reach there. Lots of people passed through, so fewer monsters, and the ones there weren't much different from outside ones since the labyrinth's mana wasn't strong yet. More often, adventurers got jumped by fellow adventurers, but witnesses made that rare too.
I'd never seen outside monsters, so it didn't hit home, but the first three floors were easy enough. Not that I could talk after dying on the first.
Why bring it up? This labyrinth run was a breeze—no need for real tension. The other three were so skilled I wondered why I'd even been recruited up front.
So instead of pushing myself, when facing my assigned monsters, I tested my skills.
Now [Sensory Block] was level 4, and I'd gained derivatives like [Multi-Block], making them practical in real combat.
While the others dashed off to handle other monsters, I used skills on my goblin.
Sensory Block + Sensory Amplification
Target: Vision blocked / Pain amplified
"Kieek?... Kiiieeeek!"
I blocked its vision. The skill worked; the goblin charging murderously froze, shaking its head in panic. Without waiting, I slashed—not to kill, but to wound deeply.
"Kik... Kiiiiieeeek! Kieeek!"
Amplified sense: pain. Blind and wracked with heightened agony from my cuts, it thrashed in torment and terror.
Whoa, just the basic combo and it's devastating? This is what I dreamed of when I first got [Sensory Block]. Now with [Sensory Amplification] too...
"Kieeek! Gkeee!"
Its screams drew more monsters from the shadows. Backup nearby, huh?
Perfect. Plenty more to test.
I finished the screaming goblin, shook blood from my blade, and grinned chillingly without realizing it.
In my other hand, I held items to test more skills.
Start light? Let's see...
'Boost itch sensation, then feed it this poison.'
I pulled out the 'Thousand Mosquitoes' toxic herb I'd eaten to gain [Poison Resistance] last time. After trying it myself, I'd been dying to feed it to someone else.